Method and Apparatus to Internalize Non-Volatile Data Function for Sector Size Conversion

• US 20080086615A1
• Filed: 10/06/2006
• Published: 04/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kubo, Robert Akira, Elliott, John Charles, Lucas, Gregg Steven
• Application Number:
  US11/539,232
• Publication Number:
  US 20080086615A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/165
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0661 Format or protocol conversion arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

A sector conversion device includes a small memory area that is used to save two sector'"'"'s worth of data when power is lost during the sector conversion process. As part of the sector conversion process, the sector conversion device saves two sectors of data when a power loss event occurs. These two sectors of data are stored in the memory area within the sector conversion device itself. This sector memory within the sector conversion device is defined and partitioned separately from the main internal memory of the device. This sector memory is also powered by a separate voltage boundary from a hold up voltage source, which is connected to the sector conversion device via an independent set of voltage pins. The hold up voltage source enables the sector memory contents to be retained.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a sector conversion device, causes the sector conversion device to:

receive sector data; and

responsive to a power loss event from a main voltage source, save an amount of the received sector data to a sector memory that is internal to the sector conversion device, wherein the sector memory is powered by a hold up voltage source that is separate from the main voltage source.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the amount of the received sector data is two sectors.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the power loss event is an early power off warning.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on the sector conversion device, further causes the sector conversion device to:

convert the sector data to a sector size of at least one hard disk drive to form converted sector data;

output the converted sector data to the at least one hard disk drive.

5. A sector conversion device, comprising:

a processor;

a main memory; and

a sector memory,

wherein the processor receives sector data and stores the received sector data into the main memory;

wherein responsive to a power loss event from a main voltage source, the processor saves an amount of the received sector data to the sector memory; and

wherein the sector memory is powered by a hold up voltage source that is separate from the main voltage source.

6. The sector conversion device of claim 5, wherein the sector memory is a volatile memory.

7. The sector conversion device of claim 5, wherein the amount of sector data is two sectors.

8. The sector conversion device of claim 5, further comprising:

a set of main voltage pins, wherein the processor and the main memory receive power from the main voltage source through the set of main voltage pins; and

a set of sector voltage pins, wherein the sector memory receives power from the hold up voltage source through the set of sector voltage pins.

9. The sector conversion device of claim 8, wherein the power loss event is an early power off warning.

10. The sector conversion device of claim 9, wherein the early power off warning is an interrupt.

11. The sector conversion device of claim 8, wherein the hold up voltage source is a coin cell battery.

12. The sector conversion device of claim 8, wherein the hold up voltage source is a super capacitor.

13. The sector conversion device of claim 8, wherein the hold up voltage source is a residual bulk capacitor decoupling.

14. The sector conversion device of claim 5, wherein the sector conversion device is an application specific integrated circuit.

15. The sector conversion device of claim 5, wherein the processor converts the sector data to a sector size of at least one hard disk drive to form converted sector data and outputs the converted sector data to the at least one hard disk drive.

16. A method for internal sector storage in a sector conversion device, the method comprising:

receiving sector data;

converting the sector data to a sector size of at least one hard disk drive to form converted sector data;

outputting the converted sector data to the at least one hard disk drive; and

responsive to a power loss event from a main voltage source, saving an amount of the received sector data to a sector memory that is internal to the sector conversion device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the amount of the received sector data is two sectors.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the power loss event is an early power off warning.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the early power off warning is an interrupt.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the sector memory is powered by a hold up voltage source that is separate from the main voltage source.